BALTIMORE -- Jorge Posada took a step forward in his quest to return as the Yankees' starting catcher. For the first time since returning from the disabled list, Posada did catching drills. He caught Andy Pettitte's bullpen session, made throws the length of the distance to second base, and blocked balls in the dirt.

"It feels fine, it's good," said Posada, who missed time with a hairline fracture in his right foot.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Posada will take a day off tomorrow before returning to more drills on Thursday to see how the catcher's foot responds.

Girardi said Posada's workload would gradually be increased as the days go by. But the manager refused to offer a timetable for Posada's return behind the plate. He has remained in the Yankees lineup as a designated hitter.

"We just want to be smart about it," Posada said. "Take a day off tomorrow and do it again Thursday."

A-Rod: Yankees clean-up man Alex Rodriguez was back in the lineup as expected. Said Girardi: "Feels great." Rodriguez was lifted before the ninth inning of Sunday's win against the Blue Jays with stiffness in his right groin.

Eiland: Girardi didn't give an expected return date for pitching coach Dave Eiland, who remains on a personal leave of absence. Bullpen coach Mike Harkey continues to function as the pitching coach. Meanwhile, Class-A Staten Island manager Josh Paul joined the big league staff today to fill in for Harkey as bullpen coach.

Added: The Yankees pushed back a conference call with first-round draft pick Cito Culver by half an hour. The 17-year-old shortstop needed to track down a new tuxedo for his upcoming senior ball, one with pinstripes. "I've been working for this all this all my life," Culver said later during the call. However, the Yankees' first-rounder didn't give any indication about whether he would sign with the Yankees or honor his commitment to the University of Maryland.

Suspended: Yankees minor league pitcher Angel Rincon was suspended for 50 games for the use of performance enhancing drugs. Rincon, a pitcher on the Yankees' Dominican Summer League team, tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.